Automatic slack-adjuster



T. R. BROWN. AUTOMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER.

APPLICATION FlLED APR.30| 1919.

Patented Aug. 16,1921.

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l j lever 2l at a point above that at which the either by UNITED STATES THOMAS R. BROWN, OF PITTSBURGH,

PATENT OFFICE..

PENNSYLVANIA, AssieNoR To AMERICAN BRAKE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A 'CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC sLAOK-ADJUSTER. n, Y

Applicationled April 30,1919. Serial No.

a specification.

This invention `relates to automatic slack adjusters'adapted to take up slack duc to the wear of the brake shoes on the wheels of a railway vehicle. Y j

The principal Object of my invention 'is to provide an improved slack adjuster of the above character. i Y

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a central sectional view of a slack adjuster embodying my invention; Fig.` 2 the line l2-2 of Fig. l;y Fig. 3 a face view pif. the manually operated resetting member;

iig. adjuster, showing the means for resetting the parts; and Fig. 5 acentralA sectional view of a modified construction embodying my invention. A Y

According to my invention, in place of the usual bottom rod, I provide `an adjustable bottom rod connecting the usual brake levers land 2 andl comprisinga casing 3,

pivotally connected by arms 4 to the brake bottom rod is ordinarily connected.` f

Mounted within-the casing 3 is v'arod 5, pivotally connected tofthe lower endof the brake lever 1, and having' its outer end carried by a sleeve 6, whichis slidably mounted in the casing 3 and isadapted to be engaged the end ofthe brake lever 2, or, as shown `inthe drawing, by a wear plate 7, secured to said lever. f

Within the casing and mounted on the rod 5 are semi-sleeve clutch members Sand 9 which are held together by a tiltable ring V10. The clutch member 9 is Vin engagement with the sleeve 6, while a clearance space is normally provided between'the member 8 and said sleeve.

Adjacent-tothe brake lever 1, the casingV 3 contains a pair of seini-sleevc clutch members 11-11, which are maintained in frictional contact with the rod 5 by a tightly 5 wound coil spring 412 and are vheld against movement relativeV to, the rod in vOne direction by a collar'13, adapted to 'engage a iiangey 14 Fon tlie-semisleeve .members 1`1-`11.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

in Automatic Y 'Slack-Adjusters, of which the following is Lh ever,the angularityof .the

a section on t a plan view of a portion of theslack the Vbottom rod Patented Aug.

In order to'prevent rotative movement of the semi-sleeve members 8 and 9, the member 811s provided with a ltang 15 adapted to engage between guide members 16-16 on the casing 3.

shoes, lthe arrangement acts as an ordinaryy U without any slack adjusting action taking place.

f there is an excess movement of the brake levers in applying the brakes, howbrake levers 1 and semi-sleeve members Sand 9."

During this movement, Athe member 7 engages the sleeve 6 andthe pressure thereby Yexerted on said sleeve acts on the semisleeve member 9, so as to tend to tilt the ring and cause the semi-sleeve members 8 and 9 to tightly grip the rod 5. Therod 5 andthe to tend to move away from the sleeve 6,

and the sleeve 6 being thus the right, the lowergrip longerheld against movement by the sleeve 6, so that the spring `17 acting with equal pressure on both grip ymembers 8 and 9 causes a relative movement between said Vmembers and thereby a movement of the ring 10 from its tilted gripping position.

he grip members then slip forward on the rod 5, causing the sleeve 6 to follow up the end of lever2; any tending of the rod to move forward being prevented byv the engagement of the semi-sleeve members .ill-1l with the collar 13.

The result is thatthe effective length of member will be increased to eoV correspond with the wear of the brake shoes, so that upon the next application of the brakes, the slack will have been taken up.

`8. lThis tends In order to kpermit the replacementA of a worn out brake shoe with a new brake shoe and the resetting of the parts to their initial positions, a hand operated member 30 is provided, which has a ring portion adapted to fit over the sleeve 6 and a notch 18 adapted to engage a spline 19 on the sleeve. The member 30 is held against longitudinal movement with rrespect to the casing 3, by means of flanges 20 and 21.

The sleeve l6 is provided on its end face with opposite inclined surfaces 22 adapted to engage corresponding inclined surfaces 23 on the semi-sleeve member 8, shown more clearly in Fig. 4f of the drawing.

`When it is desired to reset the parts to their initial positions, the member 30 is manually rotated in either direction from the vertical position so that the surfaces 22 will engage the corresponding one of surface 23 on the member 8 and thereby cause a rearward movement of the semi-sleeve member to loosen the ring 10, by throwing` the saine to a vertical position, so that the semi-sleeve members S and 9 are released from their gr" mitting the same to slip forward until the end again engages the end of the sleeve o. lf the operator should forget to return the member 30 to its normal vertical position, said member will be returned by gravity vupon applying the brakes.

A modified construction embodying my invention is shown in Fig. Llof the drawing, in which the friction clutch comprises a plurality of tilting rings 24;, 25, and 26, the ring 24: being engaged by spring 17 and the ring 26 by a bar 27, the outer end of which isadapted to engage the end of the brake leverr 2.

The operation is similar to that of the construction shown in Fig. 1, and in applying the brakes, the movement. of the lever 2 causes the casing 3 to be pulled forward, compressing the spring 17. Excess movement ofthe brake lever causes the semisleeve members 11-11 to engage the rear end of the casing, and then said members slip forward on the rod 5.

Upon releasing the brakes, the brake lever 2 tends to move away from the bar 27, but the spring 17 then acts to straighten up the rings 24, 25, and 26, since the bar 27 moves forward with the brake lever 2. The casing 3 consequently is permitted to nieve relatively to the rod 5, so that the bottoni rod member is lengthened and the slack is taken up.

The parts may be reset in the same `manner as in the case of the construction shown in Fig. 1, by providing an inclined vface 23 `adapted to be engaged by a corresponding p on the rod 5, per! inclined face on the member 30', so that the rotation of the member 30 causes the rings 211,' 25, and 26 to be shifted to a vertical position, permitting the` rod 5 to move forward until the end engages the end of the casing 3.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. 1n an automatic slack adjuster, the combination with brake levers and adjustable members operatively connecting said levers, of friction grippers for engaging one of the adjustable members and a tiltable ring for forcing the grippers into gripping engagement with said member.

2. In an automatic slack adjuster, the combination with brake levers and adjustable members operatively connecting said levers, of friction grippers for engaging one of the adjustable members and a tiltable ring adapted to be tilted to force the grippers into gripping engagement with said member upon the application of force to one of the grippers through the other adjustable member.

3. In an automatic slack adjuster, the combination with brake levers, of a rod connected to one lever, a sleeve engaging the other lever, semi-sleeve friction grippers mounted on the rod, and a tiltable ring inclosing said grippers and adapted to be tilted'to force the grippers into gripping engagement with said rod.

Ll. ln an automatic slack adjuster, the conibination with brake levers, of a rod connected to one lever, a clutch device for liolding said rod in position, a casing operatively connected to the other brake lever, and a spring operated by said casing for releasing said clutch. f

5. In an automatic slack adjuster, the combination with brake levers, of a rod connected to one lever, a clutch device for holding said rod in position, a member operated by the other brake lever for causing said clutch to maintain its holding engagement with the rod, a casing operatively connected to the last mentioned brake lever, and a spring compressed by the movement of the 115 casing for releasing said clutch.

6. In an automatic slack adjuster, the

combination with brake levers, of adjustable members operatively connecting said levers, a clutch device for holding one of said mem- 120 bers in its adjusted position, and having an inclined face, and a manually operated member having a corresponding inclined face adapt-ed to engage with the inclined face of the clutch device for releasing same.

7. In an automatic slack adjuster, the combination with brake levers, of adjustable members operatively connecting said levers, a clutch device for holding one of said members in its adjusted position, and having an 130 inclined face, the other-adjustable member prising one member adapted to be engaged having a. corresponding inclined face, and by said sleeve for causing the clutch to act, a manually operated arm for rotating said and another member adapted to be engaged adjustable member to thereby cause the enby said sleeve upon rotation for releasing gagement of said inclined faces. the clutch, and a manually operated member 15 8. In anautomatic slack adjuster, the com- -for rotating said sleeve. N Vbination With brake levers, of a rod con- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set nected to one brake lever, a sleeve mounted my hand. on said rod and adapted to befengaged by l0 the other brake lever,V a clutch device com- Y THOMAS R. BROWN. 

